Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) called emails showing the scandal originated in the governor’s office “shocking and outrageous.”

“They show government at their worst,” he said. “Among other things they call into question the honesty of this governor and his staff. As a result of what has been revealed today, the governor has a lot of explaining to do.”

Christie’s office has not responded to requests for comment today.

“Where I come from Fort Lee is a democracy, Bergen County is a democracy and so is New Jersey,” said Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), who appeared with Wisniewski at a news conference. She represents the town thrown into chaos by the lane closures during the first week of school in September.

Wisniewski is chairman of the Assembly transportation committee that subpoenaed thousands of documents between Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials, Christie and Christie’s staff. He said each reading of the 3,000 to 5,000 documents raises new questions.

State Assemblyman John Wisniewski responds to Chris Christie bridge scandalNew Jersey Assembly Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski held a press conference on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments in the Chris Christie George Washington Bridge scandal. Wisniewski said he believed laws were broken when staff close to Christie made plans to close lanes to the George Washington Bridge. (Video by Adya Beasley / The Star-Ledger)

David Wildstein, former director of interstate capital projects at the bi-state agency, is scheduled to testify before the committee Thursday, but Wisniewski said it’s unclear whether that will happen. Wildstein’s attorney filed an order today to quash the subpoena, Wisniewski said, with a ruling expected out of Superior Court in Mercer County Thursday morning.

After Wildstein, Wisniewski said, he’d like to subpoena Bridget Anne Kelly, one of Christie’s deputy chiefs of staff who sent an email launching a series of texts and emails about the closures, would consider the same for David Samson, a top Christie adviser and chairman of the Port Authority board of directors. Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak is also on the list.

“Either he doesn’t know what’s going on in his front office or they’re lying to him,” Wisniewski said of Christie.

The emails “portrayed a different character of this administration that the administration tried to portray. It shows the administration spends a lot of time covering its tracks,” Wisniewski said.

“The list keeps getting bigger because we keep getting questions,” he said, adding: “We want to make sure the Port Authority is accountable, that this agency can’t be abused on the fashion it’s clearly been abused,” he said. “It seems to me at least some laws have been broken.”

“It’s a sad day for New Jersey because every time something like this happens it gives citizens who want to believe government does the right thing, it gives them justifiable cynicism,” he said.